brovol

Do you know if this is starlink? I was hoping NS would get starlink before my April cruise, but figured the speeds would be a bit better than that.

Generally I find that people who have something to complain about are more likely to post something after getting back from a cruise than those who had a great cruise, are happy for it, and just get back to regular life after getting home. I'm that way myself. Most of the cruises we go on are either very good or excellent, but I almost never post a review for those. I have, however, voiced my displeasure after getting home from a cruise. Just human nature I guess. I find cruises a bit like pizza and sex though; even when they are "bad" they are still pretty good. Wife and I are fairly experienced cruisers, with over 35, on many different lines. We are sailing the NS in April, and sailed the NA at Christmas with our adult kids. I will say, I was a bit disappointed with the NA. Found the entertainment to be somewhat limited, did not like that the lido buffet was closed from 8:30 to 10:30, and the internet was horrendous. The food quality was good, but enjoyed having more options to choose from in the dining room back in the pre-covid days. After the first day I was kind of ticked off at these things. But really what it meant was we just needed to adjust and plan just a bit more. Checking menus and entertainment schedules earlier in the day, and then make sure if we wanted to grab a snack at the lido, get there before 8:30. No workaround for the internet issue; it just sucks, and I really hope its better on the NS. Only prayer is that they get starlink on board before April. I wont hold my breath. We had a good time on our NA cruise; just not as good as we have has in the past. I hope cruising gets back to pre-covid days again. The industry got the screw-job with horrible and unfair policies by bad and heavy-handed government. It crippled cruise lines, even more that most other sectors of the economy, which were also unfairly assaulted with horrendous rules and policy. Hope we can recover. Until then there will be some cutbacks; and it will be avid cruisers who keep the industry afloat.

The medallion check-in was fastest we ever had on a ship. ordering drinks and food worked like a charm. locating my wife when we were separated was cool too. And the internet worked fantastic. like my WiFi at home. just ordering a drink at a bar was awesome, without having to even hand them a card. Hard to believe anyone had bad experience. We love it, and even before medallion we loved Princess.

My wife and I absolutely love Princess, and the medallion technology. Sky Princess last year was perhaps the best ship we have sailed in over 35 cruises.

I always appreciate it when there is maybe a couple guitarist who can play a good variety of music, and play a few sets a couple times a day. There are a lot of quality people who can do this, and I can listen to that every night. Wish there was more of that on cruise ships. Cant cost that much for just a couple musicians, and they can be versatile and play at different times in different venues. On Sky Princess last year they alternated performances in the atrium (an awesome location) between a husband and wife (she played guitar and sang, and he played percussion and piano), and a piano and string trio. We loved hanging out there every evening after dinner. I enjoy the simple music options like that much more than the larger production stuff.

With our experience on the NA, I would say generally yes, but close call. Having said that, on the NS the Lincoln Center Stage venue is the same as BB Kings, so my assumption is that on some nights the strings will be earlier, and the "blues" later, and the other way around the next night, but that just a guess. The Lincoln Stage music on the NA was typically two or three performances each day; one maybe at 3:30 or 5, and then two performances, maybe at 8 and 9. One of the later performances was essentially the same show as the earlier show; so basically two "new" shows each day. We are not big classical music people, but loved all of the shows. The traditional classical music was more of the "pops" variety. You will be familiar with the stuff they play. Then they always played contemporary pop music with a classical arrangement, so most folks familiar with that too. Dinner in the main dining room takes too long, in my opinion. So with entertainment scheduling you are largely beholden to the wait staff. In my experience if you tell the waiters you are in a hurry because of a show they will step it up. We ate at 5:15 most nights, and had no issue with seating; but the music venues are not huge, so want to plan a bit.

We are on the NS in April. We sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam at Christmas, and although two different ship classes, I think things are relatively consistent with HAL. The NS has a rolling Stones Rock bar, which we look forward to checking out. The NA didn't have this. On the NA, however, we very much enjoyed the classical string music, played at Lincoln Center Stage. I guess HAL is doing away with this as an every evening show, but will still have it at some point on the cruise, and those changes wont occur for several months. BB Kings is really good too; although not really blues. More contemporary pop, so if you are a big blues fan (like I am) don't get your blues expectations high. Still enjoyable shows though. We tend to eat dinner very early, so as to catch whatever is playing thereafter. My wife watches the schedule closely, and so we tend to get to the venues early to get a seat, and then move on to the next place as soon as the last thing we are doing ends. I think between the Rolling Stone, BB Kings, and Lincoln Center Stage (or whatever it turns into), you will have plenty to do each evening. The two piano (Billboard) shows were very disappointing on the NA. That is all about who you have for singer/piano players. Some would be awesome, and others lousy. Another option is heading to the Crows Nest, which is very nice, but "chill" in the evenings. There is a full regular and coffee bar there, games, as well as tables for cards if you are interested in that. My wife, two adult children and I went up there on a slow night, got a beverage and played Euchre. The views there are incredible. One thing I didnt like about the NA, and I'm sure its the same on the NS, is that the lido buffet is closed so much; including between 8:30 and 10:30 pm. Its nice to have the option to get a snack, or something sweet during that period, and the only option was the pizza place, which was very busy because nothing else was open. Even if they kept a small section of the buffet open, with sandwiches or simple things to grab; but they didn't on the NA. Hope the NS is different. I think most folks are able to stay entertained on these ships, even if they arent party ships.

Would love to see it on Nieuw Statendam for my April 1st cruise. We were on Nieuw Amsterdam for Christmas, and the internet was horrible. Were on Sky Princess last year, and the internet was incredibly good, so I know its possible to have great wifi on a cruise ship.

Honestly, after many cruises on Princess ships it is hard to believe that someone wouldn't enjoy at least most the food. It is excellent; and while food taste is subjective, my strong assumption is that you will enjoy the food on your Princess cruise. This is a HAL forum, so most folks here cruise HAL a lot, but trust me as someone who has cruised many times on both HAL and Princess, the experiences are far more similar than different.

Princess is our favorite line, and that is especially true since the medallion technology! Princess and HAL are very similar in terms of service, demographic, style, and many other things. Last Princess cruise my wife and I went on was perhaps the best cruise overall we had been on in over 35 cruises. My only complaint was that the buffet could have been more robust. Everything else was simply awesome. The medallion is amazing. And the internet on the Sky Princess in the Caribbean worked perfect. I have two HAL cruises booked, one during Christmas, and another in April, and honestly kind of disappointed I didn't book Princess cruises instead. We really like HAL also, but prefer Princess.

Thanks all! Very helpful, and much appreciated.

Does anyone know where the Nieuw Amsterdam docks in St Thomas? Is it the Havensight or the Crown Bay pier? Contemplating the Sky-ride to Paradise Point excursion, but only want to do it if it is walking distance from the ship. So if the NA docks at Havensight we are in, but Crown Bay its a no go. Any folks do the sky-ride? Is it pretty cool? Can you just go on the ride to the top, and jump on it to head down right away, or will it be awhile before we can head back down again?

Its actually a good question.

OP wants to know if waiters or bartenders give you an invoice to sign, showing an amount due to be charged for each drink after the 15. So, there would be some indication you are over the 15 limit.

There are going to be a few poor mannered, piggy slobs on every cruise, regardless of the rules and protocols in place on the ship. This was true before covid, and will continue to be true after. Respectfully though, it surprises me how many folks we have on this cruise forum (where presumably most posters cruise quite frequently) who seemingly bend the germaphobe meter. Not trying to make enemies, but if someone is concerned enough about catching a bug that it offends the sense of health safety to eat food from an otherwise clean buffet, because individuals are permitted to grab a plated piece of cake, cookie or salad, perhaps he/she might reconsider jumping on a ship with thousands of passengers and crew living in close confines for a week or more. if you live a normal life, and present yourself in public (stores, gas stations, entertainment venues, family functions, or anything else) you get exposed to germs, bugs, viruses, etc. God gave us immune systems, and they work miraculously, but need to be challenged now and then to stay strong. That's why living in a bubble is actually not a good thing for most people. Pig gunna be pigs! We will experience that wherever we go. I have found that in large part folks who cruise (and particularly folks who cruise on HAL) are more well mannered than most. There certainly will be exceptions, but I see no reason why a cruise ship buffet has to have a crew member serving every cookie or salad. Time to move forward.

I think when I called to book our group of four I was told that they are reserving the restaurant for both cabins, and when we get there we have to ask to be seated together. Curious what others have experienced.

Cruises are like pizza and s*x, even when they are not the best, they are still really good. We've been on multiple cruises with each of the mainstream cruise lines, including Carnival; and while Carnival isn't our favorite (or even in the top three), we have always had a great time on our Carnival cruises. I find Carnival a little more crowded than most, and probably a rowdier passenger base, but the ships are very nice, good entertainment, and the food has always been very decent and sometimes excellent in our experience. When we see a good deal on a Carnival cruise, and cant find a Princess, or other cruise that comes very close, I don't hesitate to book the Carnival ship.

Outstanding. Princess is our favorite cruise line.

Most non-maskers don't disparage folks who wear masks at all, but rather are believers in individual choice and freedom. People should be left with option to take whatever measures they wish to take for covid, or any other flu or bug that may be floating around in the air, or on surfaces. I hate being in a public bathroom and seeing people go potty, then walking out without washing their hands, but have always respected that persons right to be as filthy as he might want to be. Just as I value the ability of someone to share views on issues I disagree with, without being punished for it in any way. America used to be the land of such individual liberty, and hopefully we will get back to that at some point. But for what its worth, if I see you on any of the cruises I am on, and you are wearing a mask, not only will I not look down on you, I will smile and hope you have a wonderful vacation, without judgement, because I am certain you share the same respect for my individual choice. And lets all pray that we never again deviate from leaving those choices to each individual.

Its very frustrating. I have final payment due tomorrow and haven't been able to buy the gift cards for few days. This is the only reason I paid for the AARP membership. I called AARP customer service to see if I could just buy the cards over the phone and was told no, and that I should just try again in a couple hours. Its BS.

Pretty sure all the other lines require everyone in the cabin to have the same drink package. I'm certain Princess and Norwegian do.

I have two HAL cruises booked, one Christmas week, and another in April. I sent two separate emails with the same photo of a stock statement, and including the booking # and cruise date, and then received an email confirming that the stockholder credit was approved and would be applied at embarkation. I have a TA, so don't have an updated invoice, but I trust it should be there in my account when we board. Shouldn't I?

Wouldn't it be better in that case to purchase the higher level beverage package for the $5 per day increase, and then the $15 drinks are included?

I have two Holland America cruises booked; one on Nieuw Amsterdam during Christmas week, and another on Nieuw Statendam the first week of April. I find Holland America's app to be schizophrenic, not user friendly at all, and the worst of all the cruise lines we've been on. The excursions do not pop up for me. Dinner reservations won't allow me to reserve for all the people in my party (My wife and two children). I am planning on calling customer service Monday morning and hope they can assist with the reservations. Kind of surprising that with all the technology available that Holland America can't get this right. Princess does an amazing job with technology in general, and has a great, very user-friendly, app. Surprises me that other cruise lines don't just mock what they are doing.

I just reread your post. Think I understand now. So, because we have 6145 and 6149, if I'm understanding correctly we will have a tub/shower combo, because it does not have an asterisk. I noticed the picture and link you posted were from the Eurodam, as opposed to the Nieuw Amsterdam, which I booked. I'm assuming it's exactly the same on both? Again, thank you for the info. Very helpful.